Sunsets
by Damonlove1864
Summary: Sunsets are a time for secrets.
1. Chapter 1

Elena sighed as she stared out across the tree tops. She loved sunsets, and the twilight hours that followed. A secret she had guarded, even from Stefan. To afraid that he would compare her to her night loving, murderous doppelganger. It wasn't an attraction she had developed since knowing him. She had loved sunsets ever since she had been born. Her mother told her once that when she was a baby she would always stop crying when the sun started to set as long as she could see it that is. If not then she would scream until she was brought near a window. It was an attraction her and her mother shared. The time of day for secrets. Elena came back to the present opening her eyes and watching the explosion of oranges and reds deepen to indigos and violets as twilight approached. She jumped slightly at the voice behind her,

"What are you doing?" Damon said from the doorway. He had secretly been watching her for the past 2 minutes. Memorized by the light encasing her thin form. The golden setting sun gleamed in her hair and gave her skin a golden gold. He had watched as the light had slowly faded and twilight set in. The darker light did not diminish her beauty.

"Damon! You scared me!"

"I believe that this is my room?" He said as she turned back to the open French doors.

"Hmmm..." She said not really looking at him. He super sped over to where she was standing stopping just behind her, his chest lightly touching her back.

"I said I believe this is my room. What are you doing in here?" She had jumped slightly at his voice directly behind her, but then she had relaxed.

"Watching the sunset. Your room has the best view."

"I know why do you think I picked it?"

She looked up at him surprise on her face. "You like sunsets?"

Damon just nodded, uncomfortable with sharing such a human part of him. His eyes widened when Elena turned back towards the sky and said "me too" as she leaned back and rested against him. "There is just something so utterly beautiful, but also sad about them. I don't know how to explain it. I've loved them since I was little. It always calmed me to sit at my window and watch them. Even now that I know what danger there is in darkness, I still feel utterly calm. My mother and I used to sit almost every evening and watch them together. She always used to say that time stops and anything done during a sunset stays with that sunset, a secret forever. We used to tell each other all sorts of things, even if I had done something wrong and she really should have told my Father she never did." She sighed relaxing further against him.

" You know you're safe here. You miss her very much."

"Yes, I do. I wish she was here. I have so many sunset secrets I would love to tell her."

"I understand." Damon said resting his cheek against her hair and breathing in her unique scent.

"Elena?" she hears Stefan yell from downstairs

"I better go."

"No stay, it's almost over." Damon said wrapping an arm around her waist. Elena relaxes into his hold. Just this once, she thinks, just this once.

"Elena are you almost ready, we will be late" Stefan calls again.

Elena sighs and Damon drops his arm. She turns to him and he can see the early starlight reflected in her eyes as she smiles. "Don't tell Stefan about the sunsets please, can we just keep it between us?"

He nods and smiles. "See you tomorrow same time?"

Elena smiles and stands on her tiptoes kisses him on the cheek and whispers "defiantly".

Damon smiles as he watches her walk from the room. " You know, I respect sunset secrets too." Elena pauses and turns back a small smile on her face, before she continues out the door. Damon's eyes never leave her form. Even though it kills him, it hurts a little less knowing that he will get to spend these few moments with her. Something Stefan will never get to do. He understands why she doesn't want to tell Stefan. He will worry she is getting to sucked in, too much in love with his, their, world. But Damon understands, it isn't about the darkness, it's about the light, the colors, the quiet, and the secrets. He understands.

**Author's Note: Just something I had in my head. I kinda live in the middle of nowhere and get some spectacular sunsets, obviously I was inspired….heehee. I hope you enjoyed. Please please review, I do really enjoy hearing from people.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken so long. I have just been super busy! Anyway here is the next chapter. For those of you that are Blame the Snow Day fans I will try to be getting the next chapter of that up soon too. Happy Holidays Everyone!**

Sunsets Chapter 2:

Damon sat reading in his room the last few rays of the sun glinting across the floor. He smirked as the door opened and light feminine footsteps whispered across the floor. He felt the bed dip at his feet and he finally raised his cerulean eyes to look at the figure seated there. Elena leaned against the bed post her feet drawn up against her chest, her chocolate hair flowing over her shoulders. Elena's eyes however were not fixed on him but on the huge floor to ceiling windows and the sunset beyond them. Damon slowly set his book aside and stood from the bed. Elena stirred at his movement and looked in confusion at his outstretched hand.

"I thought maybe we could watch the sunset from a different place tonight. As much as I love seeing you in my room I think I know an even better place we could watch from." Elena rolled her eyes at his comment but took his hand and allowed him to lead her over to the balcony outside his room.

"Now what?" Damon pulled her closer to him and said

"Hold on tight." Elena understood immediately and held onto him as tight as she could. She could feel Damon chuckling as he wrapped his arms around her slim frame. She felt him bend his knees and she squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could. "Elena...Elena..." Damon said laughing slightly. "Elena you can open your eyes now we are there."

Elena loosened her grip on him but didn't completely let go. She looked around and realizing they were standing on the highest peak of the boarding house she immediately retightened her grip on his hard waist. Damon laughed and Elena glared at him. "Stop laughing at me I don't like heights!"

"Alright, alright, I'll try to stop. He loosened his arms around her and said "turn around" she did slowly never completely letting go of him. Once her back was facing him he carefully lowered them to the roof so they could sit and watch the sunset.

Elena gasped when she turned around and saw the entire back yard of the Salvatore property and woods bathed in the golden glow from the sunset. "It is so beautiful."

"Yes it is." Damon said watching her. They sat for a while and watched the colors and finally Elena spoke.

"You can't get mad at me."

"Ok" Damon said cautiously. "What did you do Elena?"

"I went and talked with Elijah."

"Elena! What were you thinking! He could have killed you!"

"Damon you promised you wouldn't get mad." Damon tried to smooth his face back into a calm mask but he unconsciously tightened his arms around her. Elena smiled at that knowing it was his gut reaction to hold her, to protect her from harm."I wanted to ask him why he let us go when we were in Richmond."

"What did he say?"

"He told me about the sacrifice and about Katherine. He was never planning on letting her die, neither were the witches at the time. They were never going to let an innocent girl die for such an arcane ritual. The witches had prepared an elixir that would bring her back to life."

"Oh…"

"Yeah…so anyways, I made a deal with him."

"Elena…" Damon said warningly.

"No it is ok, I am not going to give up don't worry. This isn't me giving up. I am still going to fight, try to find a way to kill Klaus before the ritual can even take place, but just in case this will insure that I don't die, well at least permanently."

"What did you promise Elijah?" Damon said roughly.

"I promised him I would stop going on suicide missions. That I would live my life, but I would still like I said try to discover ways to kill Klaus. In return Elijah would if it came to the sacrifice ensure I had the elixir and that I was safe afterwards. Also he promised to ensure the safety all the people I love. I have to give him my list tomorrow."

Damon loosened his grip on her and Elena turned slightly to look at him. He was looking at her with such mixed emotions displayed on his face she couldn't place anything. "So now you have to figure out who to put on your list."

"Yep. I mean it really won't be that hard. Jeremy, Jenna, Alaric, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Tyler, Stefan, and of course you. I think that is it." She saw an emotion flash through his eyes at her omission of her list, but it was so fast she missed it. "What is it?"

"You….are…amazing." Elena smiled. "You are going to risk your life for everyone. To protect everyone, even me."

"Of course you, silly." She says laughing.

"Why?" Elena looked at him understanding suddenly dawning on her. She turned herself fully around to face him. Cupping his face in her hands and holding his eyes with hers she said

"You are worth saving Damon. You are."

"I don't understand. After all I have done-"

"You have changed. You have shown you are the better man. You have saved my life countless time. Not just mine but my friends too. You care Damon. You may not want to admit it but I see it. That is what is important. You care, and you are worth saving." She smiles lightly at the end of her speech. Damon reaches a trembling hand up to wipe the single tear off her cheek. "Don't let anyone make you think you aren't worth it, because you know what, all that matters is that you are worth saving to me." Damon smiles and pulls her closer burying his face in her hair. Elena chuckles and hugs him tightly.

"Thank you. I am still not happy you went to see Elijah by yourself."

"I know. Now I told my secret what's yours?"

"I don't have one." Elena just stares at him raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, but you have to promise not to get mad." Elena nods her head "and not to laugh, or hit me." Elena just nods her head again. "I'm scared." He says watching her. Elena's eyes widen in surprise her mouth falling open. "Don't look so shocked."

"What could you possibly be scared of? You are never scared!"

"I'm scared…of…loosing you." He says so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

"Damon…" She says. He lifts his head his eyes meeting hers.

"I can't lose you Elena. I just can't. I wouldn't survive. You changed me, made me remember what it was like to be human, to feel, to care. I can't lose you."

Elena smiles softly. "You won't, now with my deal with Elijah you won't have to no matter how this plays out. I am not going anywhere. I promise." She whispers as she hugs him tightly. He nods his head into her shoulder. They sit like that as the last rays of light fade from the sky.

"ELENA!" They jump hearing Stefan call from inside the house. Damon pulls them up quickly and super speeds them back to his room. Setting her down he quickly pulls her homework out of her bag spreading it out on the bed making it look like he was helping her. Stefan walks into his room to see her sitting up against the bed post a math book in her lap, Damon sitting across from her pointing to a calculus problem.

"Oh hey Stefan." Elena says smiling.

"What are you doing?"

"I was stuck on this math homework and came over to see if you would help me, but since you weren't here Damon offered." Stefan nods his head and walks over to stand next to her slipping an arm around her and kissing her hair lightly. He makes a face. "What?"

"You smell like Damon's cologne."

"Oh, sorry?" She says questioningly. Damon chuckles and she glares at him.

"It's not your fault, he is one that sprays it in his room every day. Anyways are you about done? Caroline called and was wondering if we wanted to have dinner at the grill with her and Tyler."

"Oh yeah sure." Elena said standing and beginning to pick up her stuff. As they head out the door Damon calls after them.

"See you tomorrow!" Elena turns at the door and smiles as she waves goodbye. Their eyes meet and a message passes between them. Until the next sunset.


End file.
